Thunder and Lightning ready to hit UCF as South Carolina duo commits

Iliana LimónSentinel Staff Writer

Thunder and lightning are headed to UCF.

Carvers Bay (S.C.) Coach Nate Thompson said standout athletes Clayton Geathers and Davious Chestnut have committed to the Knights. The versatile athletes play running back and in the secondary for their Hemingway, S.C., team, but both are expected to be defensive backs in college.

"Clayton Geathers and Davious Chestnut are the best of friends and don't go anywhere without each other, so I've always expected them to be a package deal and end up at the same school," Thompson said. "They both got offers from UCF and really like the school, so it was easy to get them. We like to call them thunder and lightning. They're really talented athletes, and you don't see one without the other. If you see one walking around by himself, you can ask him where the other one is and he'll know."

The Knights now have 14 commitments for the class of 2010.

UCF assistant David Kelly, along with head coach George O'Leary, pushed hard to get another high-profile Carvers Bay standout, Kwame Geathers, last season. Georgia won the battle for the powerful defensive lineman, but Thompson said the coaches made a positive impression Kwame Geathers' younger cousin, Clayton Geathers.

"Clayton followed his older cousin during the recruiting process and really liked what Coach Kelly had to say about the school," Thompson said. "He went to take a look at the school and really enjoyed it. Davious liked what he saw too, so it was pretty easy for UCF to get commitments once they offered both players. I told the UCF coaches they lost out on one, but they made a good impression on two others."

Current UCF senior defensive end Jarvis Geathers, who also Clayton Geathers' first cousin, also helped put in a good word for the Knights.

Geathers (6-3, 190) is out for the first three week of the Carvers Bay season with an ankle injury, but Thompson expects the senior to get a lot attention from Division I schools when he returns to the lineup.

Rivals.com reports Geathers has been recruited by Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, N.C. State and South Carolina, but UCF was his first offer. Chestnut does not have any other reported offers.

"Clayton works hard and he's very talented kid," Thompson said. "He's like a hybrid. He can play corner, free safety and outside linebacker, which makes him much more valuable at the next level. I think Clayton is going to get bombarded by offers by the time his senior year is over. I told the University of Central Florida coaches they better hold on for a bumpy ride."

Chestnut (6-3, 185) hasn't gotten as much attention as Geathers, but Thompson said he's also a strong athlete.

"He's just a little bit slimmer than Clayton, but he's a very, very good defensive back," Thompson said. "Both of them have excellent speed. I coach track, and they've always made the state track meet."

Geathers rushed for 1,434 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, while Chestnut rushed for 762 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior.

With Geathers out of the lineup for Carvers Bay's season opener on Friday, Chestnut shined. He rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries during a win over Marion High.

"We got a little bit lucky because we're such a young team, but I would have to say that Devious Chestnut really was the difference maker in the game," Thompson said. "There give out end zone game balls to two players who perform the best out of about 30 teams in within four or five counties in our area. Davious won that award for his performance Friday night. People are just starting to really notice what he's capable of doing."

Iliana Limón's Knights Notepad blog on UCF sports can be read at OrlandoSentinel.com/knightsnotepad and she can be reached at ilimon@orlandosentinel.com.